I wasn't a big fan of True Detective, but I was interested to see what he'd do with this. Now it'll be absolutely nothing. Great move, New Line, one of the hottest directorial talents in Hollywood just walked out on you, thus guaranteeing public interest in the project has dwindled to nothing as well.

King-Sized Canary

After The Dark Tower was announced as a miniseries and movie, now The Stand will be the same. Actually, one of the most entertaining/chilling parts of the original book was the part where you found out what happened to random people when society fell apart, so if it's like that then fine. If it's like the 90s adaptation, then definitely not fine. If it's like Under the Dome on TV, forget about the movie.

G

GeorgeP

Guest

My only fave film/book combo has to be Salems Lot. I didnt read the actual book until around 10+years after I saw the TV movie and I found it alittle way to long winded for my liking. Sure, King is gifted but I personally dont find all his works carry a grab factor worth sticking with.

The book about the evil clown bored my socks off - as did the TV movie...yawn.

King-Sized Canary

The miniseries of It is rubbish, but it did seem to set off an "evil clown" meme we're living with today in a way the book didn't a few years before. I loved the book as a teenager, there was so much in it and the juggling of the plotlines is masterful. Salem's Lot (book) isn't one of my favourites, though I did like the return to the characters in the later Dark Tower books.

King-Sized Canary

I saw it on Channel 4 when they showed it about 15 years ago. It was a bit ho-hum until the ending, when it was unexpected to see an American TV show have a twist as bleak as that. Probably not as surprising if you saw it now. It was better than Kingdom Hospital, that's for sure.

Abominable Snowman

I like to re-read "the Shining" when we vacation in Colorado. Fun shivers in cool weather.
I'd like to second guess both the author and Kubrick for this story. Kubrick was too abstract with the visual scary stuff. I wanted a bit more exposition about what was shown on the screen. But he was wise in what he excised from the book--the topiary was just dumb and the "suspense" about the boiler/furnace seemed just padding, since the real scary story was about hotel ghosts and the deterioration of a marriage.

King-Sized Canary

Aaaand about a year later I finish Mr Mercedes, and thoroughly enjoyed it. King enters the internet age. One of his most despicable villains, someone who takes even more pleasure in driving someone to suicide than he does a mass murder, but this isn't a horror novel for a change, it's more like King's editor has had a quiet word and told him thriller fiction is shifting more units nowadays (unless he wants to turn his hand to YA).

But he's very good at it, really exciting ending, and nice to read about a mentally ill character who isn't a baddie (OK, the actual baddie is, but there's a heroic one too).

King-Sized Canary

Guillermo Del Toro has a movie to publicise, so he's mentioned he would really like to remake Pet Sematary. I thought there was one already in development (hell)? I'm not keen on the first one, it's a massively depressing book but the film is pretty shallow apart from Fred Gwynne.

Special Branch

Finished the paperback of 11.22.63 and though it turned into a nostalgia effort with teeth pretty quickly, I did enjoy it. Liked the way King wrote an ending which struck a balance between lone gunman and conspiracy, without saying too much. A shame the girlfriend character came in for so much abuse, got a bit ridiculous in the second half, but yeah, King's still got it. Nice Richie and Bev from It cameo too.

Variety reports that the network ordered a pilot in February but ended up greenlighting 10 hourlong episodes of the series even before the pilot was completed. (Must’ve been a hell of a pitch.) The show will be produced by TWC-Dimension TV, which—via The Weinstein Company—also produced Frank Darabont’s 2007 feature film take on The Mist. That version was notable for adding a much darker (some might say “emotionally scarring”) ending to King’s original tale.

King-Sized Canary

Not sure where to post this, but I see 11.22.63 the TV series has reached the UK this week. I watched the first double episode and was quite impressed, the music isn't very good but I warmed to James Franco more than I thought I would, he's not my idea of a King everyman but he kept his essential Franco-ness in check. They mixed the plot around a bit, though I expected that, and I doubt we'll be visiting Derry, but yeah, not bad at all.

King-Sized Canary

In spite of the terrible reception it had (ho ho), and because I liked the book, I watched Cell tonight. Maybe it's because I don't own a mobile phone and the whole middle aged vibe appealed, but I thought it was really good. I even liked the ending which is changed from the original to make a sick joke (I laughed, I'm not ashamed). Obviously its well-publicised problems get in the way a bit, but I appreciated the Cusack and Jackson combination better here than in 1408. Not your average fast zombie movie.

King-Sized Canary

Just finished Revival. If you ever wanted to read what happens when you mix Stephen King, Mary Shelley and H.P. Lovecraft, give this one a go, it's a slow burner but the pay-off is truly freaky. And extremely ominous. He's still got it! (for me, anyway)

Doctor Prog

Hmm....never was overly impressed with King's novels though I have read about 4 or 5 of them. Tommyknockers was interesting to me because I enjoy sci-fi and IT was an interesting idea. I liked the theme/idea of Dark Tower but only made it about half way through the series....they seemed to drag at times and I lost interest.

Gone But Not Forgotten

I've pretty much read all of Kings stuff (I've still got the Mr Mercedes trilogy to do though). For a long time I'd put off the Dark Tower stuff as I didn't think it'd be for me. Hearts in Atlantis changed that and I threw myself in head first (plus it opened up all the past DT connections in earlier novels).

I'm currently reading Joe Hill - 20th Century Ghosts (a short story collection). I first discovered Hill through the excellent Locke & Key comics and had no idea he was King's son until about a year ago. Definitely worth checking out.